The countdown for the most sensational sports event of the year is almost over. Yes, it is just 6 days to go. The 2012 London Olympics is scheduled to start from 27 July. Around 10,500 athletes from over 204 nations will battle for the medals in 302 events (26 sports). Russia is also participating in the grand sports event. It is the first time for Russia that there are more women as compared to the men at the Olympics and a female will carry the national flag. At the Summer Olympic Games, Russia has won total 324 medals. Out of which 316 have been won since 1994 and 313 since 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics. This year it is expected that Russians will win about 70 medals and end the medal totally at No. 3. This is quite similar to its previous year performance. This year, any Russian teams for hockey and football have not been qualified for the Olympics. However, there are many Great Russian athletes participating in the Games. Let us know about some of them in brief.
1. Yevgeny Yevgeniyevich Korotyshkin (Swimming):
Yevgeny Yevgeniyevich Korotyshkin is the captain of the Russian swimming team. This Russian swimmer has held 6 different world records along with a record in the 100 meter butterfly (48.48). He also has won 5 European Championship and 2 World gold medals. He was planning to quit the sport 4 years ago but rejected the idea later. He may prove to be a threat for Michael Phelps, the previous champion.
2. Viktoria Komova (Gymnastics):
Once, Russia used to be a gymnastics hotspot for gold medals. Those expectations are back with Komova. Her mother Vera Kolesnikova was the 1985 World Champion and 1986 Goodwill Games All-Around Champion and her father, Alexander Komova was a gymnast as well. In May 2012 Viktoria (born: 30 January, 1995) had won gold at the European Championships in Brussels. She is an artistic gymnast and has won the 2010 All-Around Youth Olympic Games Championship and the World Uneven Bars Championship 2011.
3. Anastasia Semyonovna Davydova (Synchronized Swimming):
Anastasia Semyonovna Davydova (born: February 2, 1983) is 4 times Olympic champion. She picked up the sport at the age of 6. She has won World Championships since 2001 and Olympic gold in 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens and 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, 2008 in the swimming team and duet disciplines. She won the gold in the duet competition along with Anastasia Ermakova. Anastasia Ermakova has not been selected this year. So London Olympics may be a little different for Davydova as her usual partner will not be there.
4. Mariya Savinova (Track and Field):
Another track and field star for Russia is Savinova (born: 13 August, 1985), who competes in the 800 meters. She became the European indoor champion in the 800m in the year 2009 and the world indoor champion in the 800 min 2010. In Barcelona at the European Championship 2010, she won the gold with a time of 1:58:22. At Daegu, South Korea she won the gold medal in the 2011 World Championships. She became world's best 800th woman runner (for track and field) in South Korea at the IAAF World Championships in 2011. She ran a 1:55:87, which was her best performance.
5. Yelena Isinbayeva (Track and Field):
Yelena Gadzhievna Isinbayeva (born: 3 June, 1982) is a pole vaulter. She has won 2 gold medals in the Olympics one in 2004 and one in 2008. The IAAF named her Female Athlete of the Year in 2004, 2005 and 2008, and in 2007 and 2009 Laureus made her World Sportswoman of the Year. In 2009, she was awarded with the Prince of Asturias Award for Sports. In 2005, she became the 1st woman to cross the 5-metre barrier. Her current world records are 5.06m outdoors at Zurich in August 2009 and a record of 5.01 m (28th pole vault world record) indoors in February 2012. She is a 5 times World Champion and current world record holder in the Olympics. Yelena is considered as the greatest female pole-vaulter ever. She has been a major champion on 9 occasions including Olympic, European indoor and outdoor champion and World indoor and outdoor champion. In 2007 and 2009, Isinbayeva was also the jackpot winner of the IAAF Golden League series. In 2009 and 2010, she could not perform well at world championships after which she took break from the sport for a year. She is among only 8 athletes to win world championships at all the youth, junior and senior levels. She rules at pole vault and has set the bar very high. In track and field, she is the best athlete of Russia.
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